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I work in Boulder County, and don't find anything unusual about the TW's
here compared with other elitist uppity communities in the country. :-)
As Anonymous Poster probably knows, the Front Range job market is
extraordinary - for computer professionals, at least. People in the
computer industry around here think they can write their own ticket because
demand is much greater than supply. In many cases they're right.
The reality is that some TW jobs (even projects within jobs) are more
adaptable to telecommuting. If you need someone onsite for this particular
task because of constant changes and necessary SME interaction, then
telecommuting is just not workable.
Regarding compensation, you have to pay local rates. If your home office is
in a lower-pay area, you can't expect people working in a higher COL area to
work for these same, lower rates.
It sounds that your company isn't set up for telecommuting, and the whole
corporate culture seems to grate at the idea. It also sounds like there are
some dress codes at your company, and a lot of folks I know only wore
shoes -- let alone a tie -- to the interviews.
My suggestion is to stick to your guns as far as telecommuting -- it sounds
like the job is not conducive to off-site work, and that should be the end
of it. Think of the difficulty you'll have in establishing the
telecommuting process - both for the job and within your company. That
sounds like a lot of work for you. The other perks, like flexible hours and
relaxed dress codes, are pretty common around here.
So hang in there. Raise the hourly rate if you're not getting enough
candidates. Let 'em wear sandals and bike shorts or go kayaking at lunch.
But if they need to be on-site, that's where they have to be.
If you want to email me about this, I'll be happy to respond.
Paul Strasser
Louisville, CO
-----Original Message-----
From: Anonymous Poster
>ANON> Is Boulder CO (USA) a niche market for tech editors? Can they write
their own
>ANON> ticket in terms of pay, dress code, and number of days per week they
may
>ANON> telecommute? We're (the main office) trying to hire (for Boulder, the
>ANON> "satellite") and candidates seem particularly adamant about
telecommuting ~40%.
>ANON> The position really isn't suited for the latter perk, as it requires
juggling
>ANON> multiple documents in varying stages of completion and almost daily
in-person
>ANON> meetings with one or more onsite SME.
>ANON>
>ANON> Also, how do you compensate main office editors if the satellite
person
>ANON> telecommutes and they don't? All suggestions welcomed!
>ANON>
>